Department for Transport

East Coast Rail Franchise

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much premium they expect to receive from the franchisee of the East Coast Main Line as a result of shortening the franchise period by three years.

baroness sugg: We currently receive premiums in line with their contractual obligations. From 2020 we intend to commence the East Coast Partnership, one of the first of a new generation of integrated regional rail operations. This will include appropriate contributions from the new private partner under a long-term competitively procured contract. We are always looking for the best ways to achieve value for money for the taxpayer alongside the best results for passengers. Reforms will build on the best of the public and private sectors, with private sector involvement bringing innovation, investment and competition.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Bahrain: Police

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the government of Bahrain over the police blockade of the village of Diraz since June2016.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have raised the issue of Diraz with the Bahraini authorities and have been reassured that there is currently no blockade in place.

Kosovo: Travellers

the earl of sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance they have given, through the UN’s voluntary trust fund or other channels, to the Roma families who were victims of lead contamination while in UN camps during the civil war in Kosovo.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: In 2010, Roma families who were the victims of lead contamination while in the UN camps were resettled in Roma Mahalla and Fidanishte. The UK deployed three experts to test the air, soil and water in Roma Mahalla and Fidanishte to ensure that it was safe to relocate the Roma families to these areas.Through our Embassy in Pristina, we support the return of displaced families from all communities, including Roma, to their place of origin. This financial year, the British Embassy’s Returns Project is supporting the return of five Roma families with housing and support packages.​

Department for Exiting the European Union

UK Trade with EU

baroness hayter of kentish town: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey havemade of the feasibility of different models for a future trading relationship with theEU if the UK pursues a policy of regulatory divergence following withdrawal and during any time-limited transitional period.

lord callanan: We are fully focused on making the UK’s exit from the EU, and our new trading relationship with the world, a success. We have set out proposals for an ambitious future trade and customs relationship with the EU, in which we will look to minimise the regulatory barriers for both goods and services between the UK and the EU. The Government has been undertaking rigorous and extensive analysis work to support our exit negotiations, as any responsible Government should, in order to inform our understanding of how EU exit will affect the UK’s domestic policies and frameworks. We have been engaging with businesses and industry bodies from all sectors of the economy and all regions of the UK as part of this process, and we will continue to do so as we move forward.

Department for International Development

Non-governmental Organisations: Licensing

the earl of dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to promote international harmonisation of licensing of NGOs through a system of mutual recognition and notification.

lord bates: The Sanctions and Anti Money Laundering Bill enables the government to draft exceptions and issue general licenses. My department will continue to work across government as the Bill progresses through parliament and with international partners to ensure that where appropriate we are taking a joined-up approach.Enforcing strict sanctions ensures that funding flows are cut off to terrorists and violent regimes whilst on the other hand our world leading charities, protected from financial abuse, help to alleviate the desperate conditions under which extremism can thrive.

Department for Education

Department for Education: Training

lord blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherany major infrastructure projects were invited to send a representative to the seminar on skills held by the Department for Education on 30 November; and if so, which.

lord agnew of oulton: My Rt. hon Friend the Secretary of State hosted The Skills Summit on 30 November which was attended by a number of Britain’s business and education experts. The Summit signalled the start of a new partnership between employers and government to drive a skills revolution.The department invited representatives from all 15 technical routes, and over 100 organisations attended the Summit. HS2 and Crossrail were invited to the Summit, as well as companies in the transport, engineering and construction sectors.We were pleased that Colas Rail, HS2, Kier, Severn Trent, Tarmac and Tomlinson were among the 30 founding Skills Partners announced at the Summit. Skills Partners commit to working with the government to develop the skills of young people from all backgrounds from across the country, offering apprenticeships and work placements to provide a route to employment for people of all ages.

Out-of-school Education

baroness morris of yardley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken to safeguard children in premises that have been confirmed by Ofsted as unregistered schools.

baroness morris of yardley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to identify the number of unregistered schools.

baroness morris of yardley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support local authorities in fulfilling their duties under section 436A of the Education Act 1996, in respect of children attending unregistered schools.

lord agnew of oulton: In January 2016, we announced funding for Ofsted to establish a dedicated team of specialist inspectors to identify and inspect those suspected of operating unlawfully and take action to bring them into compliance with the law, including closing the school, or working with the police and Crown Prosecution Service as necessary.Local councils have overarching responsibility for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and young people, and, together with local safeguarding children board partners, they should be assessing any risks to children wherever they are educated. Statutory guidance outlining the responsibilities of local councils is attached and can be accessed at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/children-missing-education.The government has been working with Directors of Children’s Services on the issue of unregistered schools, and in collaboration with them and with Ofsted have drawn up guidance on joint working between Ofsted, the department and local councils on tackling unregistered schools. We intend to publish the guidance in the near future. Where an unregistered school is identified, Ofsted take steps to share this information with the department and the local council. The department supports councils to use their powers under safeguarding or health and safety legislation to disrupt and tackle unregistered independent schools. Local councils have a duty to investigate where they suspect that a child in their area is suffering, or likely to suffer, harm. Where unregistered independent schools are identified, it is likely to be in the children’s best interests, in terms of both education and safety, for them to move as quickly as possible into properly regulated schools. 



Children Missing Education
(PDF Document, 349.48 KB)

Schools: Registration

baroness morris of yardley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the (1) shortest, (2) longest, and (3) average, time taken to determine an application to register a school.

lord agnew of oulton: The department’s guidance advises applicants that the process of registering an independent school can take around six months. The department does not hold records of the time taken to determine an application to register an independent school for all historical cases. However, for schools where the department has made a final decision on registration in 2017, the shortest timeframe was 10 weeks, the longest was 143 weeks, and the median average was 23 weeks. Applications can only be taken forward once they contain all the required information and can only be approved if the independent school standards are likely to be met once the school opens.By law, free schools (both ‘presumption’ free schools and central free schools) must also be named on the independent schools’ register before they can open. In order to be added to the independent schools’ register, the Secretary of State must decide whether or not the school is likely to meet the relevant independent schools’ standards once it is open. To enable the Secretary of State to make this decision, Ofsted carries out a “pre-registration inspection” two or three months before the opening date. Schools cannot legally open unless they are registered.

Out-of-school Education: Teachers

baroness morris of yardley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what checks are carried out on teachers working in unregistered schools to ensure that those teachers are suitable people to work with children.

lord agnew of oulton: Anyone who teaches, trains, instructs, cares for, or supervises children should have appropriate background checks undertaken by employers as part of their recruitment process, and would be eligible for a criminal records check. An unsupervised person undertaking these activities on a regular basis would also be eligible for a barred list check, as part of this process; and it is an offence for an employer to knowingly employ someone in such a role if they have been barred. It is equally an offence for that individual to undertake such activities. In addition to a criminal records check, consideration of other available information, such as references from previous employers, would be considered good practice as part of any organisation’s recruitment decision and as part of their broader safeguarding policies.

Home Education

baroness morgan of huyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Ofsted asks schools about pupils who have been removed from the school roll to be home-schooled.

lord agnew of oulton: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Non-native Species

baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take in response to the findings of the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment 2017 that new and emerging invasive non-native species are one of six urgent climate change risks for the UK.

lord gardiner of kimble: The UK has long recognised the threats posed by invasive non-native species. In 2008, we published a comprehensive Great Britain Non-native Species Strategy designed to tackle these threats, the first of its kind in Europe. As part of our strategy, we carry out horizon-scanning for new invasive non-native species likely to pose a significant risk if they arrive in the UK. These threats are formal assessments using a comprehensive risk framework that takes climate change into account. We will be carrying the next horizon scanning exercise in 2018. We also carry out risk analysis for individual species which specifically takes the potential impacts from climate change into account. We have set up a Great Britain working group to consider research needs relating to invasive non-native species, which includes the impacts from climate change.

Home Office

Detainees: Commonwealth

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government, for each of the last five years including this year to date, how many Commonwealth citizens have been detained following residence in theUK for over (1) 30, (2) 40, and (3) 50, years, (a) following a criminal conviction, (b) after a failure to provide sufficient evidence showing proof of residence, and (c) for other reasons; and in each case how many were subsequently deported.

baroness williams of trafford: Providing the information requested would require a manual check of individual records which could only be done at disproportionate cost.

Detainees: EU Nationals

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government how manyEU citizens have been detained in the UK, in each of the last five years including the present year to date, on the grounds of being (1) homeless, and (2) unable to support themselves; of those, how many have subsequently been deported; and how manyof those (a) detained, and (b) deported,were children.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office does not hold the information requested in a reportable format. As such the information requested could only be supplied at disproportionate cost.

Immigration: EU Nationals

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to removing the requirement for a permanent residence card in the case of EU citizens wishing to apply for British citizenship.

baroness williams of trafford: An EEA national applying for naturalisation must provide a permanent residence document if they wish to demonstrate that they have settled status on the basis of EEA law.This is consistent with other applicants, who apply for citizenship following a period of residence under the Immigration Rules and have to show that they are free of immigration time restrictions before applying.Future arrangements for how EU citizens and their family members will be able to apply for citizenship after the UK has left the EU are being considered, though we have no current plans to amend the law at this time.

Home Office: Disclosure of Information

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government with which (1) other government departments, (2) government agencies, (3) other public bodies, (4) voluntary sector bodies, and (5) private sector bodies, the Home Office has regular data sharing arrangements in connection with the identification of individuals' rights to receive public services or to reside in the UK, and other matters.

baroness williams of trafford: I refer his Lordship to the answer provided on 7 December 2017 to his question HL3521.

Catering: Migrant Workers

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to review or amend the rules for issuing Tier 2 visas, in the light of reported shortages of Asian food chefs in the UK.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government commissioned advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), which advises the Government on shortage occupations. The MAC has consulted widely with the restaurant industry on a number of occasions and concluded that the current criteria adequately identify the very best chefs whilst providing measures for preventing abuse of the system.In seeking to develop an immigration system that serves the national interest, in July 2017, we commissioned the MAC to advise on the economic and social impacts of the UK’s exit from the European Union and also on how the UK’s immigration system should be aligned with a modern industrial strategy – which will inform our decisions on the future system. The MAC has been asked to report by September 2018.

Police: Unmanned Air Vehicles

lord wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government which police forces in England and Wales use drones for operational purposes; and what training is provided to officers and staff in the use of such drones.

baroness williams of trafford: In a study published on 30 November HMICFRS reported that 28 Police Forces use drones. The deployment of drones is an operational decision for the police.Police forces need to adhere to the commercial operator requirements of the Air Navigation Order when operating drones. This requires operators to be trained by a National Qualified Entity approved by the Civil Aviation Authority.

National Oversight Group on Domestic Abuse

lord wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 7 December (HL3560), how many times the National Oversight Group on domestic abuse has met since 13 July 2016; and when the next meeting is scheduled to take place.

baroness williams of trafford: The National Oversight Group on domestic abuse has met on three separate occasions since 13 July 2016, the next meeting is scheduled to take place in the New Year.

Domestic Violence

lord wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 7 December (HL3560), what advice on good practice to tackle domestic abuse has been disseminated by (1) the National Police Lead for domestic abuse, and (2) the College of Policing, to police forces in England and Wales in the last 12 months.

baroness williams of trafford: The National Policing Lead for domestic abuse has provided guidance to forces in the last 12 months on counter allegations of domestic abuse, arrest rates, use of police outcome codes and the use of bail legislation and Domestic Violence Protection Orders.The College regularly maintains and updates the Authorised Professional Practise for Domestic Abuse, which provides national guidance on handling domestic abuse incidents.Both have worked with the domestic abuse charity Safelives to develop a domestic abuse training programme. An evaluation of this training was published this autumn.

Borders: Wales

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional border stages will be required following Brexit for those Welsh ports whose main trade in freight and passengers is with Ireland.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government is committed to maintaining the Common Travel Area (CTA) arrangements with Ireland after the UK leaves the EU, protecting the ability to move freely between Ireland and the UK. Joint principles have been agreed with the European Commission to ensure the continuation of the Common Travel Area.The nature of customs arrangements between the UK and the EU following the UK’s departure from the Customs Union will depend on the outcome of Exit negotiations. The Government has been clear that its priority will be to ensure that trade between the UK and the EU is as frictionless as possible.

Borders: Wales

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the cost of new border and customs arrangements at Welsh ports following the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

baroness williams of trafford: We actively monitor workflows at the border to ensure sufficient resources are in place to meet demand and will continue to do so throughout EU Exit negotiations and as the UK leaves the EU.Government departments are working together across a range of complex issues to develop our future approach at the border. These options will be kept under review in light of negotiations with the EU.

HM Treasury

EU Budget: Contributions

lord grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Bates on 28 November (HL3261), whether theAnswer indicated thatthey accept the calculations of the total annual UK contributions to the EU and its predecessors since 1973 in real (2016) prices set out in the House of Commons Library briefing paper The UK’s contribution to the EU Budget; whether they maintain their own statistics on those contributions; and if so, where those statistics are published.

lord bates: The Government provides cash figures for the UK contribution to the EU budget, through HM Treasury’s annual publication European Union Finances (previously HM Treasury’s Statement on the 19XX Community Budget). The Government do not maintain real price statistics of historical EU contributions. The Government’s cash figures have been used in the House of Commons Library briefing paper The UK’s contribution to the EU Budget in the calculation to determine the real price equivalents. The Government has not reviewed this calculation.

Money Laundering

lord patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes and in particular of countries suspected of money laundering; and how this differs from the UK approach.

lord patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they retain a definitive list of countries suspected of money laundering; and if so, which countries are specified on that list.

lord bates: The UK is at the forefront of tackling tax evasion and avoidance and ensuring tax transparency internationally. The EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes marks an important step in our ongoing efforts on this agenda. The UK has been working constructively with European partners on the EU list. Finance Ministers endorsed the list at the December Economic and Financial Affairs Council meeting. Separately, the EU has also established, as provided for by Directive 2015/849 (EU), a list of third countries with strategic deficiencies in their national anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regimes that pose significant threats to the financial system of the EU. Within the UK, firms that are regulated through the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 are required to apply enhanced due diligence measures in relation to a business relationship or transaction with any person established in such a country.

Credit

the lord bishop of st albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will monitor the voluntary agreement by lenders not to give automatic credit limit increases to consumers.

lord bates: Regulation of the consumer credit, including credit cards, is a matter for the Financial Conduct Association (FCA). The FCA has carried out an extensive credit card market study which identified concerns about persistent credit card debt. The FCA’s proposed measures to tackle persistent debt include a voluntary industry agreement to restrict unsolicited credit limit increases. We have passed the Lord Bishop’s question on to the FCA, who will reply directly to him by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Cabinet Office

Acts

earl attlee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what precedents there are for undertaking a consultation exercise before commencing a section of an act of Parliament, other than one dealing with secondary or delegated legislation under the relevant act.

lord young of cookham: A revised set of consultation principles was published in 2016 to give clear guidance to government departments on consultations. These principles are attached to this answer.These do not provide exact criteria for when consultations should and should not be undertaken, as it is important to consider the specific circumstances for each policy. The Government is committed to engaging with the public and other interested parties through formal and informal consultation, in the most appropriate manner for the policy in question.



Consultation Principles 2016 
(PDF Document, 79.88 KB)

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Personation: Internet

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to combat the online practice of "catfishing"; and whether they intend to make it a criminal offence.

lord ashton of hyde: Catfishing is one of the online harms which we are considering as part of our Internet Safety Strategy. The Strategy, which was published on 11 October, considers ways in which we can ensure Britain is the safest place in the world to be online.

Video Games: Classification Schemes

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what system of classificationis used by the Video Standards Council Rating Board to rate video games; and how the level of classification is decided.

lord ashton of hyde: Video games are subject to a mixture of statutory and voluntary regulation mainly linked to the Pan-European Games Information (PEGI) classification system. In the UK, the PEGI age ratings have statutory backing under the Video Recordings Act 1984 and the Video Standards Council (VSC) Rating Board is designated under the Act to review and classify products. The PEGI ratings system - which has been adopted in most countries across Europe - is used to classify video games content against criteria which includes, for example, depictions of violence, sexual scenes or themes, depictions of self-harm, drug use, bad language, gambling and the ability to interact online with other players. Video games are awarded 3, 7, 12, 16 or 18 PEGI age ratings as appropriate, and pictograms are attached to the games to indicate the type of content they contain. The VSC uses this system to rate games that are unsuitable for children. More information about the VSC’s approach to classification is set out in their annual report, which is laid before Parliament each year.

Video Games

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how manyvideo gameshave been banned on the grounds of (1) child exploitation, and (2) domestic violence, since the Video Standards Council Rating Board was established.

lord ashton of hyde: To date the Video Standards Council has not found it necessary to refuse to issue a certificate to any game submitted to it.

Video Standards Council

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements they have put in place for monitoring the work of the Video Standards Council, and for holding the Video Standards Council Board to account.

lord ashton of hyde: Government formally monitors the work of the independent Video Standards Council (VSC) on an annual basis through scrutiny of their Annual Report. This report describes the VSC's application of the independent Pan-European Games Information (PEGI) rating system over the previous year, and is assessed by officials and ministers before being laid before Parliament for further review.

Video Standards Council

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last met representatives of the Video Standards Council; and whether they have any plans to review the work of that body.

lord ashton of hyde: Officials last met representatives of the Video Standards Council (VSC) at their St Albans headquarters on 29 August 2017 and maintain regular communications outside of meetings. The work of the VSC will next be reviewed upon submission of their Annual Report in 2018.

Video Standards Council

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what qualifications are required of employees and members of the Video Standards Council who are involved in determining age classifications for video games.

lord ashton of hyde: The Video Standards Council objectively follows the Pan-European Games Information (PEGI) classification criteria produced by psychologists and child welfare experts. Their employees have demonstrated analytical capabilities and include graduates and former police officers. They are also able to consult their Advisory Panel of leading psychologists and legal experts before deciding upon the rating of a video game.

Video Standards Council

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the independence of the Video Standards Council in respect of the discharge of the Council's responsibility for determining age classifications for video games.

lord ashton of hyde: The Video Standards Council (VSC) applies the independently determined Pan-European Games Information (PEGI) classification system on behalf of industry in order to provide objectivity and consistency in video games age ratings. The VSC’s classification work is reviewed by Government as part of the assessment of their Annual Report.

Department of Health

Cancer: Screening

lord crathorne: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to make colonoscopies available through the NHS as a method of screening for pre-symptomatic cancers.

lord o'shaughnessy: Colonoscopy is currently used in the National Health Service bowel cancer screening programme as a diagnostic tool to look at the bowel following a positive screen test for bowel cancer and to remove any polyps (growths) if detected. The aim of a screening programme is to offer a safe and simple test to a large defined population who are at an average risk of developing the condition and to provide early intervention. Colonoscopy is an invasive procedure which in some cases can cause bleeding and discomfort and does not meet the United Kingdom National Screening Committee’s test criteria as noted.

Preventive Medicine: Finance

lord bird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following comments by Mr Brian Ferguson, Chief Economist of Public Health England, in his blogInvesting in prevention: the need to make the case now, what (1) amount, and (2) proportion, of each ministerial departmental budget was (a) allocated to, and (b) spent on, preventive activities in each of the last five years.

lord o'shaughnessy: Data on the amount and proportion of each ministerial departmental budget allocated to, and spent on, preventive activities are not centrally collected. Improving health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities are not just the preserve of the health system. Most Government Departments can have a significant impact on population health and wellbeing. Being in quality employment, having warm homes, access to green space and safe roads are just some of the wider determinants of health where other government departments have potential to impact on societal health and wellbeing.

NHS: Pensions

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many NHS employees in England there were who did not pay into the NHS Pension Scheme in each year since 2010.

lord o'shaughnessy: The following table provides an estimate of the number, and percentage, of National Health Service staff in England on the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) who did not pay into the NHS Pension Scheme as at April of each year since 2010.YearScheme non-membersestimated fromESR data 1,2,3,5Estimated scheme non-members in NHS trusts andclinical commissioninggroups (CCGs) 4,5 201014%169,000201115%171,000201215%167,000201315%165,000201411%123,000201511%128,000201611%130,000201711%128,000Notes:1The percentage of scheme non-members is based on staff identified on the ESR Data Warehouse with no employers’ pension contribution made on their behalf in the March of each year.2Percentages do not cover general practices and other organisations that are excluded from or choose not to use ESR for payroll functions.3The ESR Data Warehouse is a monthly snapshot of the local ESR payroll systems. The ESR Data Warehouse is unvalidated.4The number of scheme non-members is estimated by multiplying NHS Digital’s published headcount of staff in NHS trusts and CCGs at 31 March each year by the percentage of scheme non-members estimated from ESR data.5It should be noted that it is not appropriate to conflate these estimates with NHS Pension Scheme membership counts derived from NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) data. The NHSBSA collates active membership data on all NHS pension scheme members across primary care in England and Wales. The ESR Data Warehouse is a monthly snap shot of the live ESR system. This is the HR and payroll system that covers all NHS employees other than those working in general practice, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and organisations to which functions have been transferred, such as local authorities. Figures are for England only.

NHS: Pensions

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they give to staff of the NHS on the merits of the NHS Superannuation Scheme.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Department, NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) which administers the NHS Pension Scheme (NHSPS) on behalf of the Secretary of State and National Health Service employers are not authorised to provide advice to staff on the merits of the NHS Superannuation Scheme. However, the NHSBSA provides comprehensive online only information to members, potential members, and employers about the NHSPS covering the following: - Joining the Scheme;- Membership of the NHS Pension Scheme;- Cost of being in the Scheme;- Transferring into the Scheme;- Increasing your pension;- Getting an estimate of your pension;- Family and your pension;- Applying for your pension;- Leaving or taking a break from the Scheme;- Divorce or dissolution of a civil partnership and your pension;- Annual Allowance;- Lifetime Allowance; and- Information for Practitioner, locum and non-general practitioner members.In addition, the NHSBSA provides scheme members with an annual total reward statement, which outlines their pension savings to date.

Drugs: Misuse

lord patel of bradford: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the publication in 2016 by the ONS of statistics showingthe highest rate of drug-related deaths amongst women since records began in 1993, what steps they have taken to tackle the specific issues faced by female drug misusers and to reduce any barriers to accessing treatment.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government is investing over £16 billion over the Spending Review period for local authorities (LAs) to spend on public health. LAs are responsible for making decisions on how to spend their local allocation but the public health grant conditions make it clear that they must have regard for the need to improve the take up of, and outcomes from, their drug and alcohol misuse treatment services. Public Health England supports LAs to commission effective drug and alcohol prevention and treatment services to meet the needs of their local population, and in working to reduce drug related deaths. This includes guidance developed with drug service providers with a focus on ensuring that women can access quality drug treatment and recovery services and interventions. A copy of Improving Clinical Responses to Drug-Related Deaths: A summary of best practice and innovations from drug treatment providers is attached.



Improving Clinical Responses
(PDF Document, 409.66 KB)

Fractures

baroness quin: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to ensure that all NHS users over 50 years old have access to Fracture Liaison Services to identify the link between any fracture and the bone health of the patient.

baroness quin: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to ensure that women over 60 years old are routinely offered bone density scans to ascertain bone health.

lord o'shaughnessy: Fracture liaison services (FLS) provide secondary prevention for fragility fractures. These services identify patients in secondary and/or primary care who have suffered a fragility fracture and assess the patient’s risk of future fragility fracture in a timely fashion. A FLS then provides advice and/or therapy to reduce that risk. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) evidence based guideline Osteoporosis: assessing the risk of fragility fracture, updated in February 2017, sets out best practice on management of fracture risk in patients with osteoporosis. A copy of the guideline is attached. The guidance recommends that clinicians consider assessment of fracture risk in all women aged 65 years and over and all men aged 75 years and over. Women aged less than 65 years and men aged less than 75 years should be considered for assessment in the presence of certain risk factors, such as a family history of hip fracture or low body mass index. Regarding bone density scanning, NICE recommends it be considered after patients have first been assessed using a validated risk assessment tool, such as FRAX, which clinicians can use to evaluate the 10-year probability of bone fracture risk in patient. The guidance also recommends other circumstances where bone density scanning should be considered, including for patients who are to undergo treatment which may affect bone density, such as certain treatments for breast or prostate cancer.  



Osteoporosis
(PDF Document, 109.19 KB)

Drugs: Rehabilitation

lord brooke of alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they propose to take on the findings of the Care Quality Commission report Substance misuse services: the quality and safety of residential detoxification.

lord o'shaughnessy: It is for local authorities to commission these services, supported by expert advice from Public Health England. We expect local authorities to take the findings of the Care Quality Commission’s report very seriously.

Dental Health: Children

lord turnberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the incidence of childhood dental decay in (1) those regions where the water supply is fluoridated, and (2) those where it is not.

lord o'shaughnessy: Public Health England’s Water fluoridation Health monitoring report for England 2014 compared a range of dental and non-dental health indicators in fluoridated and non-fluoridated areas. The report concluded that, when deprivation and ethnicity were taken into account, five year-old children in areas with a fluoridated water supply were 28% less likely to have tooth decay than those in non-fluoridated areas, and 12 year-old children in areas with a fluoridated water supply were 21% less likely to have had tooth decay in permanent teeth than children living in non-fluoridated areas. A copy of Water fluoridation Health monitoring report for England 2014 is attached.



Water fluoridation
(PDF Document, 1.5 MB)

Health Professions: Vacancies

lord turnberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current vacancy rate for nurses and midwives in the UK.

lord o'shaughnessy: Management information data collected by NHS Improvement estimates that as at September 2017, around 36,000 registered nursing and midwifery posts are not filled by a substantive member of staff - 33,000 of these are covered by bank and agency staff. This is management information data that continues to be developed.

Health Professions: Migrant Workers

lord turnberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they anticipate a reduction in the number of nurses and midwives from EU countries coming to the UK after Brexit; if so, by how much; and what assessment they have made of the impact on the NHS of any such reduction.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government hugely values the contribution of all the European Union staff working across the National Health Service and social care, including nurses and midwives. The Government is committed to ensuring a clear pathway to permanent residency for these EU citizens. The Department continues to monitor and analyse overall staffing levels across the NHS and social care, and we are working across Government to ensure there will continue to be sufficient staff to deliver the high quality services on which patients rely following the United Kingdom’s exit from the EU.We are also working hard to improve our domestic supply of nurses and midwives. This year there are more nurses on our wards than last year and numbers will continue to increase in future because of a 25% increase in training places, the introduction of new routes into the profession through the Nursing Degree Apprenticeship, and an increase in the number of nurse associates.

Health Professions: Migrant Workers

lord turnberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of nurses and midwives from other EU countries who have returned to their country of origin in the last two years.

lord o'shaughnessy: The information requested is not collected by the Department.